This invention relates generally to the field of solar energy collector panels, and in particular to a batten which is adapted for use in safely retaining a system of unitary, co-extruded solar collector panels of substantial length to a building.
Recent realizations that alternative energy sources to fossil fuels must be developed have caused substantial efforts to be made in developing a commercially acceptable solar energy collection system. The essential component of any solar energy collection system being the solar collector panel, a substantial amount of effort has been expended in the development of this element of the system.
Initial efforts to develop a useful solar collector panel often resulted in heavy, cumbersome structures involving the use of several, often incompatible, construction materials. This problem was particularly acute in the design of an acceptable flat plate type solar collector panel.
The flat plate type collector panel is generally more compatible with large structures, such as homes or offices, lending themselves well to the solar heating of air or water for use in the home or office, of water for distillation purposes, and even of water for use in heating a swimming pool. This compatability results from the existence on all buildings of large flat areas, such as the roof or walls, upon which such flat plate type collector panels may be mounted.
Although well suited for use in connection with a building, flat plate type collector panels had not yet found wide commercial acceptance for various reasons. Moreover, the cost of producing an efficient and workable collector panel often far outweighted its return, seriously limiting acceptance of such collectors by the public.
My patent application, Ser. No. 645,648, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses a flat plate type solar collector panel which serves to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks thus enabling production of a commercially acceptable solar thermal energy collection system. This is accomplished by providing a solar collector panel which is unitary in construction and which is capable of being produced in long, lightweight and continuous sections. In this manner entire portions of a structure may be covered with a series of such panels thereby enabling the conversion of sufficient amounts of solar thermal energy to provide for the heating needs of a consumer.
The unitary collector panels disclosed are produced by coextruding a selected combination of thermoplastics into long panels having heat insulating and heat absorbing layers along their entire length. In this manner the previously required combination of construction materials is replaced by a single unit requiring no individual construction or separate parts. The resulting units are lightweight which permits easy installation and also permits large surface areas to be completely utilized without requiring substantial shoring of the underlying structural members. The unit is also capable of being produced in large sizes and quantities decreasing both the cost of such units as well as the costs of installation and labor.
Although the unitary solar collector panels above mentioned are well suited to solving the problems presented in converting solar energy into heat it has been found that certain aspects of those collector panels are capable of improvement, further enhancing the utility and potential for public acceptance of the resulting solar energy collection system.
One such aspect concerns the method by which such panels are mounted to the physical structure of the building. In my patent application, Ser. No. 645,648, the unitary panels are affixed to the building's structural members using a plurality of screws or bolts, each provided with a protective washer, in order to retain the panels in position along their edges. Although this provides an acceptable means for mounting such panels, it has been found that a more efficient mounting system exists which serves to decrease the amount of labor required for installation of the panels to the structure, to assure a positive sealing force along the entire length of each unitary panel, and to allow for the expansion, in both a lengthwise and crosswise direction, while also preventing the bowing, which is encountered when the unitary collector panels are in use.